Much of what you wrote rings true for me. But could it be that the ultimate problem is not government itself but evil, power-hungry people lording their authority over others and using their positions for selfish gain? In other words, is the crisis of authority actually a crisis of character in our leaders?
What if we could create a culture where we saw government "leadership" not as positions of authority but as positions of responsibility? What if we could have a government with leaders who followed Jesus' teaching to his disciples:
“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave." (Matthew 20:25-27)?
Hey Jason. Thanks for your input.
I'm all about servant leadership. I've seen many of the leaders in the community here doing exactly that since I first joined. So many people patiently answering the same questions again and again to help people understand while others are building new open source tools to improve the experience for everyone.
My problem with viewing government in that manner is that, if you do, it ceases to be government. A leader is someone I voluntarily choose to follow. A government official or enforcer with a monopoly on the "legitimate" (as in legal, not exactly moral) use of force is someone I have to obey, or I risk being killed or imprisoned. If government was voluntary, then there would be no governing going on, and it would be more like the relationships I have with my neighbors where we work things out as adults.
There will always be power hungry people. The real problem appears (IMO) when we believe the myth, the most dangerous superstition as Larken Rose calls it, and give them powers through our perceptions they don't justifiably have. What separates a government from a mafia is, in many ways, our belief in their right to act as they do.
Here's a fun little video from Larken Rose for those who are interested (less than 7 minutes):